Watch, clock, and the like.



L. G. COLLINS.

WATCH, CLOCK, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1913.

1,099,1 1 7, Patented June 2, 1914.

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LEON C. COLLINS, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WA'roIi, CLOCK, ND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Application filed June 18, 1913. Serial No. 774,463.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEON C. CoLLINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Revere, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and use-. :ful Improvements in Watches, Clocks, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in watches, clocks, and the like.

Heretofore it has been the custom to secure the cannon pinion of a Watch or clock movement to the center staff by a frictional engagement, the object being to so connect the twoparts that relative movement is prevented during the normal operation of the time piece. It is common experience, however, for the cannon pinion to work loose, and as a consequence the said pinion slipsupon the arbor or center staff. This impairs the accuracy ofthe time piece and is the source of considerable trouble to the watch makers and watch repairers because of the imprac- 'ticability of overcoming the defect by any of the methods of mounting the cannon pinion now known or in general use.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means by which the cannon pinion and center staff'may be positively connected so as to eliminate the necessity of a frictional connection, and to in sure the accurate driving of the cannon pinion by the center staff.

A further object is to provide means of the character referred to which will not interfere with the independent movement of the hands of the time piece, in setting the latter.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings the time piece is represented as a pocket watch, and in the fol lowing specification it is described as such, this representation and description being for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limitation, as it is obvious that the invention may be applied to time pieces of all kinds.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a face view of a watch conventionally illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view through the cannon pinion. Fig. 3 is a similar View of a slight modification. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a conventional view illustrating a second modification. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view illustrating the clutchlng device, the center stem being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken through the lower portion of the cannon pinion. Fig. 7 is a detail of one of the pivoted clutch members illustrated in Fig. 2, and Fig. 8 is a detail illustrating the means for operating the clutch lever.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the pillar plate of a watch movement, 11 the case in which the movement is mounted, 12 the pendant of the case, and 13 the winding and setting crown.

The winding wheel is indicated at 14 and is connected to the main spring arbor 15. In the form illustrated in Fi 1, a setting wheel 16 is employed, and 1 is a bridge oscillating upon the center 18 and carrying idle pinions l9 and 20 meshing with a wheel 21 which is driven by the crown 13, by mechanism which is old and common, and is therefore not here shown, for either winding the mainspring or setting the hands of the watch.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the center staff 22 of the watch movement is mounted in the pillar plate 10, and is provided with the fixed center wheel 23 and pinion 24. Said stafi is also provided with a threaded portion 25 which is engaged by the correspondingly threaded portion of a plate 26, whereby the center staff and said plate, which I will term a carrier plate, are rigidly united. The upper face of said carrier plate'26 is provided with spaced apart grooves in which are pivotally mounted spring-pressed clicks or clutch members 27. It will be noted that each of said clicks comprises an upstanding curved member 28 and a radially extendedarm 29, the latter projecting beyond the periphery of the carrier plate 26. The cannon pinion 50 is chambered at 81 and the wall of said chamber is provided with teeth 32 which are complemental to the curved portions 28 of the clicks 27 hen the cannon pinion is placed on the center staff 22 and pushed downward, the clicks 27 first move inwardly toward the center staff until the lower edge of the cannon pinion passes beyond the outermost portion of the curved members 28, which latter will then engage the teeth 32.- In this manner the cannon pinion and the center staff are positively connected. Surrounding the carrier plate 26 is a flat ring from the teeth 32.

33 which extends beneath the projecting ends 29 of the clicks 27, said ring being, pivotally mounted in a yoke 34: carried'by' an operating member 35 pivotally supported by the pillar plate 10. Said operating member 35 is so arranged as to be engaged.

by a cam member 36 carried by the bridge 17, so that when the bridge is shifted preparatory to setting the hands, the operating member 35 is moved in a direction to cause the ring 33 to move the projecting ends 29' of the clicks 27 upward, imparting a corresponding inward movement to the curved members 28, suiiicient to disengage the latter The hands canthen be set'in the usual way and just as soon as'the bridge 17 is returned to its normal-position the ring 33 will be lowered, whereupon-the clicks 27 will again engage the cannon pinion.

In Fig. 4: I have illustrated the application of my invention to a type of watch movement in which the winding and setting mechanisms are connected with the stem by 'an endwise' movable clutch 38 having two sets of teeth on its opposite ends respectively. The clutch has a groove 39 which receives a yoke carried by a cam lever e0, which lever is arranged to engage the operating member for the purpose of rocking the same. The

location 0; the lever :0 is such that when the clutch is in the position for winding and running, as illustrated in Fig. 4t, the connection between the cannon pinion and center staff is made complete. And when the clutch is in the position for setting, this connection is broken. Any of the mechanisms now in common use for moving clutches of the nature of the clutch 38, now in common use may be employed, and as my invention does not reside in any such mechanism, but only in the application of my cannon pinion connection thereto, such mechanism is not shown.

In Fig. 3 l have illustrated a slight modilication of the clutch for connecting the canii-onpinion with the center staff. In this form ofthe invention the cannonpinion is provided with aplate or disk 50 havin peripheral teeth 51. The plate or disk 00 is intended to rest upon a carrier disk 52 in which are pivotally mounted angular clutch members or clicks 53, one arm of each of said clicks being arranged to enter and engage the teeth 51, the other arm of each click extending in approximately a horizontal'direction. An operating ring 54 held in the yoke end of a lever 35, rests upon the horizontal arms of the clicks In practice the disk 52 is first secured in position on the center stait and the cannon pinion is thenplaced upon the latter, the clicks having their horizontal arms depressed. As soon asthe cannon pinion is in place the operating member 35 is moved so as to allow the upstanding portions of the clicks 53 to engage the teeth 51, thereby positively coupling the center stali and cannon pinion. When it-is desired to set the hands the operating member 35 is moved in the manner described in connection with Figs. 1 or 4, as may be desired. It is obvious that while 'I'have described my improved connection between the cent-er stall? and the cannon pinion as being controlled by the hand setting mechanism, I do not desire to be limitedto such construction. It is obvious for instance that-in a clock mechanism thelever 35 maybe extended through the clock casing tormanual operation without departing .from the spirit of my invention.

The advantages and operation of inyinvention will be'clearly apparent to those skilled in the art'to which it appertains. It will be particularly noted that by means thereofsl have overcome a source of great annoyance heretofore experienced in the art. It will be further observed that by means of my improved clutching arrangement between the center staft' and the cannon pinion, the same are positively connected and rela tive movement prevented, at the same time permitting disengagement when such disengagement is necessary. Another advantage lies in:the fact that with but slight change my invention may be applied to any of the time pieces now in general use. It will be understood that i prefer to make the clutch teeth on the cannon pinion very fine, and to away from the pillar plate or carrier disk.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described an operative manner of constructing .and using the same, al-

though without attempting'to set forth all iofsthetorms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of: its use, what I claim is 1..As;an improvement in time pieces, a

:center staii, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, avcarrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate, and means for holding said clutch =members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion.

Q2..As an-improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion member mount- :ed. thereon, a carrier member secured to said stafi, and spring-pressed clicks carried by one of said members and normally in engagement with the other member.

3. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate, means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion, and means normally engaged with said clutch members for rendering the latter temporarily inoperative.

4. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate, means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement ith said cannon pinion, an operating ring normally engaged with said clutch members for rendering the latter temporarily inoperative, and means for actuating said ring.

5. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate and provided with angularly disposed arms, means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion, an operating ring engaging said arms, and means for actuating said operating ring.

6. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate and provided with angularly disposed arms, means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion, an operating ring engaging said arms, and an operating member pivotally supporting said ring.

7. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon and provided with clutch teeth, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center stafi", clutch members supported by said carrier plate and provided with curved arms, and means for holding said curved arms normally in engagement with said cannon pinion.

8. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon and provided with clutch teeth, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate and provided with angularly disposed arms, one arm of each clutch member being curved, and means for holding the curved arms of said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion, an operating ring engaging the other arms of said clutch members, and means for actuating said ring.

9. The combination with hand setting mechanism of a time piece, of a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate, means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion, and means engaged with the hand setting mechanism for rendering said clutch members temporarilyv inoperative.

10. As an improvement in time pieces, the combination with hand setting mechanism, of a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate, means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion, an op erating ring for said clutch members, and an operating member for actuating said ring, and means connected with the hand setting mechanism for actuating said operating member.

11. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members supported by said carrier plate and having curved portions for resisting removal of said cannon pinion from said center staff, and means for holding said clutch members normally in engagement with said cannon pinion.

12. As an improvement in time pieces, a center staff, a cannon pinion mounted thereon, a carrier plate mounted to rotate with said center staff, clutch members pivotally supported by said carrier plate and having integral bent portions fo-rmingsprings bearing upon said carrier member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEON C. COLLINS. Witnesses WM. S. Honors, M. E. SMITH.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

